Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (50 page)

“Plans change,” I remind him.  I can’t sit here and listen to this
anymore.  I get up, and walk around the deck, giving myself some much needed
space.

Standing at the railing, looking out at the waves crashing on the surf
like I’ve done so many times before, I recall the first time we made love.  I
remember the first time he told me he loved me.  And the moment he asked me to
move in with him.  Each memory is washing over me as if it’s happening right
now.  Will we have time together to create new memories? I have so much more to
share with him and so much more to tell him.  All we need is time.

Right now, surrounded by our friends, I’ve never felt so alone and
empty.  They are all here for me and for Evan, but I don’t know what to say to
them.  They just keep looking at me with sadness and worry in their eyes.

Evan and I talked about a night when we could invite our friends over to
the house.  I pictured all of us sitting around a fire pit on the deck, lit by
the light of the moon. I would be the hostess, greeting everyone and serving
drinks and dessert.  We would be laughing, drinking, and enjoying life. 
Tonight, most of the people on my guest list are here, but there’s no
celebrating to be done.  Not yet, anyway.

Emmy comes over to me, puts an arm around my waist, and lays her head on
my shoulder.  “It’s going to be okay, Jette.  Believe it.  You’ve found him. 
Now he needs you to stay strong.”

“Thank you, Emmy.”  I choke back tears that are dangerously close to
breaking free. 

I look over at Derek, Marcus, and Adam and they’re all huddled together
talking in hushed tones.  Just a few months ago, I didn’t know any of these
men.  Tonight, as we sit together, joined by our mutual care and concern for
Evan, I’m deeply grateful that they’ve all become a part of my life.

Officer Harper steps out and motions for Adam to join him inside for a
moment.  They disappear into the house, just out of sight.

Suppose this is it.  Suppose he wants Adam to break the bad news to me. 
Suppose Evan’s not coming home.  What will I do without him?  It’s hard to
breathe.  I sit down on one of the deck chairs, trying to calm myself and get
air into my lungs.  I can feel my hands shaking.  Derek comes up behind me and
rubs my back until I calm.  When he sees my breathing slow, he backs off,
giving me space and privacy.

Adam returns with Officer Harper.  They sit on either side of me with
looks that I don’t like.  Neither one is smiling.  Adam’s expression is one of
seriousness and gravity.  Whatever they have to say isn’t going to be good.

Officer Harper speaks first, “Juliette, the police arrived a few minutes
ago and have made contact with Ms. DeVeau.  All I can tell you is that this has
turned into a hostage situation and we’ve called in the State Police to try to
negotiate for the release of Mr. McGuire and the surrender of Ms. DeVeau.  If
you have any family you wish to contact, I suggest you start making some calls
now.”

I sit and stare into the flames of the fire pit, trying to make sense of
everything.  I can’t speak.  I can’t think.  I can hardly breathe.  All I can
do is stare.  His words are swirling around in my mind ... hostage ... surrender ...
negotiate ... over and over until it sinks in.  There’s only one way she could
possibly be holding Evan against his will.

I look at Adam, “Does she have a weapon?” I blurt out.

Adam replies with one word.  “Yes.”

Sweating
Bullets

S
he has a weapon.  That’s all I need to hear.  No more sitting.  No more
waiting.  I turn to Emmy, “Please take me to him.  I have to be there.  I need
to know what’s happening.”

“I’ll drive you, Jette.  Please let me help,” Adam offers.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough for one night, Adam?  If you’d done
the right thing when you first found out, we wouldn’t be here.  Emmy, Derek and
Marcus would still have a job and I would still have ...” I can’t finish that
sentence, I can’t finish that thought.  The place where that thought leads me
is a dark place, and I cannot afford to let myself go there right now.  I need
to stay positive and hopeful.  I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to forgive
Adam if anything happens to Evan.

“Jette, it’s not Adam’s fault that Averee went over the deep end.  You
can’t possibly blame him for this.”  Does Emmy think she can reason with me
right now?  There is nothing about this situation that can be rationally
explained or clarified.

“Really?  Watch me.”  I snarl.  “Are you going to take me or not?”  I
ask Emmy.

“Of course I am.  But what about Evan’s parents?  Aren’t they on their
way here?”  Damn, I forgot about them.

“I’ll call them on the way.  They can meet us there.  Let’s go.”  I can’t
wait one more minute.  All I can think about is how badly I need to be closer
to where he is.

Derek tries to help, too.  “Jette, slow down.  You didn’t see what it’s
like out there.  There are all kinds of police cars and news vans in front of
Evan’s driveway.  They know who you are.  You’re not going to make it to Emmy’s
car without being mobbed.  Let the three of us go with you, too.  We can help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Listen, between Marcus, Adam and me, we won’t let one person slow you
down or get in your face.  We’ll be your wall.  They will have to go through us
to get to you, and that’s not going to happen.”  Derek has a determined look on
his face that tells me he means business.

All three men are standing, facing me now, and fiercely nodding their
heads in agreement.  “Fine.  But only if we can leave right now,” I insist.  I
couldn’t ask for a more loyal and trustworthy group of escorts.  I may not like
the choices Adam made, but I have no doubt that he will do anything and
everything to make sure that nothing else unfortunate happens tonight.

The five of us make our way around to the front of the house.  The
pandemonium awaiting us cannot be adequately described with words.  The moment
we turn the corner and step into the driveway, overzealous reporters run
straight for me, followed closely behind by their cameramen.  There are only
five or six of them here, but their aggressive shouting at me makes it seem
like there are ten times as many.  They all want to know what’s going on inside
and if I have any news about Evan.  How do they even know this is happening?

The boys do a great job of safely escorting me to Emmy’s car.  Adam leads
the way, Marcus is on my left flank, and Derek is following behind.  Just as
promised, they form an impenetrable brick wall.

The five of us squeeze into Emmy’s car, and Emmy takes off like a
bullet.  Once we’re on our way, I have to ask the question that’s on my mind,
“How do you guys think the press found out about this so quickly?”

Marcus replies, “Police scanners, probably.  The boardwalk was crawling
with reporters and photographers, and as soon as they got wind of this, they
all high-tailed it here quicker than you can say ‘SNAFU’.”

“Snafu?” I ask.

“Sorry, that’s military slang for
Situation Normal, All Fucked Up
,”
he explains.

Police scanners are a pretty good assumption.  So that means that this is
something else I can blame Adam for since he’s the one who called the police. 
Briefly, the logical part of my brain tries to remind me that I can’t be mad at
Adam for not calling the police sooner while at the same time, be mad at him
for calling the police now.  But I really don’t care.

We’ll be at my house soon, and before we get there, I have to let Evan’s
parents know what’s happening.  Jill answers the phone on the first ring.  She
must have her phone in her hand, anxiously waiting for any updates.  “Juliette,
do you have any news for us?”  She sounds as just as worried as I feel.

“Very little.  We’re on our way to my house.  He’s still there.  If I
text you my address, can you meet us there?”

“Keep driving.  We’re going to Juliette’s house.  No, that’s where he
is.  She’s going to text it to us, John.  I don’t know, let me ask.”  She’s
trying to talk to her husband and me at the same time.  “Juliette, dear, is
she
still there with him?”

“Yes, she is.  But the police are there now, Jill.  I’m hoping that by
the time I get there, this will all be over.”  I’m trying to put a positive spin
on it for his parents’ sake.  They’re driving on the highway, and the last
thing we need is for them to have an accident because they are unable to drive
safely.  I promise to call her again once we get there.

When Emmy approaches my street, I can see the flashing of red and blue
lights.  As we get closer, I am shocked at the number of emergency vehicles
lining the street.  There are both police and ambulances here, not to mention
numerous news vans.  Emmy stops the car halfway down the block from my house.

She barely has the car in park when I throw open the door and jump out. 
I need to get as close as I can, in the house with them if possible.  There’s a
police line cordoning off all access to my house, but I don’t care.  Evan is in
there, and that’s exactly where I need to be, too.  Maybe if I run fast enough
and hard enough, they won’t be able to stop me.

As I run, I quickly scan for any way through the line.  Out of the corner
of my eye, I can see an opening.  There are a couple of officers talking with
their backs to me.  I’m nearly certain they haven’t noticed me coming.  I give
it everything I’ve got and I make a dash for it.  All that running on the beach
is now paying off.  When I reach the yellow tape, I duck under it as swiftly as
I can without stopping or slowing.  Without missing a beat, I head straight for
the front door.

I’m nearly there.  Just a few more steps.  I reach out to grab the
doorknob, when suddenly I feel a pulling.  Something is stopping me.  There is
a pair of strong arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and taking me
away.  “No!  Evan!  Evan!  Please!”  I scream, but it doesn’t help.  I’m being
forcibly taken away from the house when I should be inside by now.

I fight furiously to force whoever has his arms around my waist to
release me.  My arms and legs struggle to find something to make contact with.
I immediately stop fighting when I hear a voice thundering from inside the
house through the open window.  “Get her the fuck out of here.  Now!” he
shouts.

It’s Evan.  He heard me.  He knows I’m here.  His voice sounds loud and
strong.  The momentary relief I feel is immediately washed away when I realize
I’m no closer to getting to him now than I was an hour ago.

I hear glass breaking inside my house and a female voice shouting.  I
cannot make out what she’s saying, but she’s definitely angry. 

My feet are placed back on solid ground, and I see it’s Adam who was
carrying me.  “What the hell, Adam?  I was almost there.”

“And what, exactly, did you think you were going to do?  Run in there and
save the day?  How?  What were you going to do, Jette?  Tell me,” he demands.

“I don’t know!  But I’ll be damned if I’m going to just sit back and do
nothing like you did!” I shout.  The truth is, I don’t know what I would have
done once I got in there.  I guess I was planning to make it up as I go along.

“If you want to help him, get your shit together and calm down.  You’re
the one who led the police here.  It’s your house that he’s holed up in.  Let’s
find someone in charge and find out what else we can do to help.”  Adam grabs
me by the hand and drags me towards the police chief’s car.

Adam and I introduce ourselves to the Police Chief, Herbert Bennett. 
He’s an older man, tall but stocky, with tightly cropped gray hair.  His face
is strong but kind, with dark eyes that reflect a lifetime of experience and
knowledge.

He’s keen to get a better understanding of this situation, so our story
is one he is deeply interested in hearing.  He listens as we explain in great
detail how we got to this point tonight.  He peppers us with pointed questions
and thoughtful insights.